A closer look at policy concerns

Proposed diversity policy facing much criticism from across the district

11:37 PM,
Jan. 14, 2013

Written by

Adam B Sullivan
| Iowa City Press-Citizen

In the month since the Iowa City Community School Board passed a first reading of its proposed diversity policy, controversy about the document has swirled.

The policy is meant to eliminate vast disparities in poverty rates across the district, which range from 6 percent in one school to 79 percent in another, by establishing ranges between which a school's poverty rate would have to fall. While many community members say something should be done about socioeconomic disparities and the academic gaps they create, stakeholders have disagreed fiercely about whether the current proposal is ...